[2] It featured a then-high 5 megapixel resolution digital camera with Carl Zeiss optics and with a flash, as well as a then-large display measuring 2.6 inches.

It was also Nokia's first device with a built-in Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, used for maps or turn-by-turn navigation, and their first with an accelerometer.

After the introduction of the original model (technically named N95-1), several updated versions were released, most notably the N95 8GB with 8 gigabytes of internal storage, a larger display and improved battery.

The N95 was well-regarded for its camera, GPS and mapping capabilities, and its innovative dual-slider form factor, and some have hailed it as one of the best mobile devices to have been released.

[5][6] The phone was unveiled on 26 September 2006 at the Nokia Open Studio 2006 event in New York City.

[7] It was considered to have been a turning point in the mobile industry due to its various capabilities; however, the device took a further six months until it was released.

On 8 March 2007, Nokia was shipping N95 in key European, Asian, and Middle Eastern markets.

The U.S. version started retailing without carrier branding or discounts in Nokia's flagship stores in New York and Chicago on 26 September 2007.

[18] The N95's main competitors during its lifetime were the LG Prada, Apple's iPhone (1st generation), Sony Ericsson's W950i and K850.

Despite Apple's much-hyped iPhone with its multi-touch technology, thin design and advanced web capabilities, the N95 had several key features against the iPhone, such as its camera with flash, video camera, Bluetooth file sharing, 3G and 3.5G connectivity, GPS, third-party applications and several other features.

TV-out is a feature offered by the phones OMAP processor, that allowed users to connect the smartphone, using the supplied cable, to a TV or any other composite video input.

The N95's built in UPnP and DLNA capabilities also allowed the user to share the phones' media over a WLAN network.

This provides easy access to the photos, music, and videos stored on the phone, from other UPnP/DLNA capable devices on the network, enabling them to be watched or downloaded over the air.

[32] A slightly improved model in a candybar form called Nokia N82 was released in late 2007.

[34] The 2010 Indian Malayalam-language experimental film Jalachhayam was shot entirely using a Nokia N95 8GB,[35] A revision of the N95, called N95 8 GB (N95-2, internally known as RM-320), was announced on 29 August 2007, and released in October 2007.

[46][47][48] In late 2020, prototype videos surfaced of a planned revision of the N95 that was never put into production, which included slide-out media controls and speakers, and a kickstand.